Say Yes Cafe: Budget-friendly kopitiam serving nasi lemak, pulut & chee cheong fun

I enjoy discovering new dining spots based on recommendations. Upon a reader suggesting Say Yes Cafe in Damansara Uptown, I was thrilled. The recommendation specifically praised their nasi lemak, boldly claiming it surpasses the offerings at Village Park Restaurant and Nasi Lemak Bumbung.

Navigating the challenging parking situation in Damansara Uptown, I discovered that Say Yes Cafe is conveniently situated close to Village Park Restaurant and Hot Bird. The small eatery is located between a bak kut teh shop and a Perodua dealership.

By the time my dining partner and I arrived, the lunch hour rush was just forming. We were able to secure a table for 2, under a cool fan. I was pleased with the vibe from Say Yes Cafe, adorned with pleasant light green walls, which gave a nostalgic, old-school coffee shop feel. After surveying the menu, which offered 3 main dishes:  Nasi Lemak, Pulut, and Chee Cheong Fun, we placed our orders. Would this restaurant live up to its daring nasi lemak rivalry, or would I be disappointed?

What I tried at Say Yes Cafe

I ordered the Nasi Lemak Rendang Daging (RM11) and a Small Teh Ping (RM3.90), which arrived in less than 5 minutes. The dish announced itself with its fragrant coconut rice, ½ full-boiled egg, cucumber slices, roasted peanuts, and a healthy scoop of sambal. It was accompanied by a plate of rendang daging, slathered generously in its gravy. With my growing hunger, I could hardly restrain myself from mixing everything together and taking a bite.

Spearing a piece of meat from the rendang daging plate for a bite, I was ready to give our reader’s recommendations some weight. The beef was tender and easy to chew, whilst the rendang gravy was savoury, leaning a bit on the spicy side. I was pleasantly surprised by the consistency of the meat, which retained its juiciness from being soaked in rendang gravy, allowing my tongue to explode with the umami goodness.

With the sambal and rice mixed together, the sambal was quite noteworthy, with a sweet then spicy kick. I am personally a fan of non-oily, thick sambal, which I believe indicates a meticulously cared-for pot of sambal. This one here was impressively thick, yet not too concentrated, so I didn’t feel put off, or as Malaysians would say, ‘muak’ from having too much of it. 

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To top it all off, the Teh Ping, which is the colloquial Chinese-tongued term for teh ais, tasted just as good as many other Chinese-style kopitiams that I have reviewed and patronised many times in the past, with a comfortable ratio of sugar to tea to ice. It was the perfect accessory to my Nasi Lemak Rendang Daging, and I wolfed down my meal faster than my dining partner could finish his own.

Shifting my focus to my dining partner’s order, he got the Roti Bakar with Butter and Kaya (RM3) and a large Cham Ping (RM4.30). Arriving a bit later than mine, I noticed his mixed reaction to the toast. He said that it was crunchy and toasted nicely, but the kaya and butter servings were not as generous as he’d hoped.

Upon further query, he said that the butter came in a single, concentrated square in the centre, so when he ate the corners of the bread, he would get no buttery flavour, and when partaking in the centre, he would be overwhelmed by a sudden chunk of butter. 

I personally don’t mind letting the butter melt a bit and spreading it across the entire slice of bread. However, since I rarely eat Roti Bakar, I decided to defer commenting on this dish to my dining partner. To him, the plus point was that the Roti Bakar came with an extra dollop of kaya on the side, in which he heartily dipped the uncoated parts of his bread crusts.

The Cham Ping was also a great addition to his meal, as he has always been a big fan of Cham, which is a kopitiam staple drink of coffee mixed with teh. He mentions that this is one of the strongest, or most kaw Cham that he has ever had in the great network of kopitiams that he frequents, which he reckons is neither good nor bad. 

The robustness of the Cham might not suit everyone’s taste preferences., and for some,  it might be just right to survive a hard day’s work.

Final thoughts

In summary, Say Yes Cafe presents a noteworthy alternative to Village Park Restaurant, especially with its nasi lemak meeting the established standards of Village Park. Nevertheless, given the limited menu offerings, I would recommend this spot more for tea time or a quick bite.

Expected damage: RM4 – RM20 per pax

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